LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin Photographs
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin, Original color photo (click to enlarge)
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin (click to enlarge)
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin passenger decks (click to enlarge)
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin deck plans (click to enlarge)
LZ-130 Passenger Cabin
LZ-130 Lounge, with stairs to Dining Room
LZ-130 Dining Room
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin in flight (click to enlarge)
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Dan,
In early August 1939 I was at Weymouth on the south coast of England when an airship, which I have always assumed to be the Graf Zeppelin, flew over on a west to east course. From your site I can see this was not so as that airship was no longer flying then. The sighting was very interesting as at that time the whole of the British Home Fleet was anchored in Weymouth Bay awaiting the the Fleet Review by King George VI. We assumed it was on a scheduled flight from America to Germany. So what was it we saw?
[Reply]
Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 2:37 am
LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin flew until late August, 1939, and famously made a spying flight over the UK on August 2-4, 1939.
(Where on my site did you see that LZ-130 was no longer flying in August, 1939? If you could point that out, it would be very helpful. Thanks!)
[Reply]
jt Reply:
August 5th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Cheers Dan,
Almost correct, but Lz 129&130 didn’t made a flight over england but followed the coastline (presumably in international airspace). The mission was to gather information about british radar. As zeppelins were easy to spot the british switched their coastal radar installations, the home chain, off.
This was presumably the first airborn Elint operation. No intellegence gathered and therefore the germans had a nasty surprise when their bombers were detected while still trying to get altitude over northern france.
)
[Reply]
ive heard that there is a plan for the new Zeppelin NT that has the capabilities to carry 40 passengers and their luggage and are to connect ten cities through out Europe it would be absolutley amazing if this happend if anyone has any info on this please inform me i would be much obliged thanx
yours sincerely Jason Wallace
[Reply]
Fred Whitaker, Program Manager Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 10:03 am
the website will tell you in english, that the ship has been flying since 1997. This is the Zeppelin Factory website. Enjoy
[Reply]
Jason Wallace Reply:
July 17th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
thank you for consideration to my question
yours sincerely Jason Wallace
[Reply]
Ok i am the dummy here but was the lz 130 built and dismantled after the hindenburg disaster? was it bigger faster ? amazing
[Reply]
Dear dan
i have a found a site that should interest u greatly it has videos of the lz-130 trial flights and as well as the tragic death of DR Eckener its great etc
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=40724
enjoy and tell me what u think cheers jason
[Reply]
Robert McArthur Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I found the Hugo Eckener story from 1954 but no videos of the LZ-130 trial flights. If anyone has a link I would appreciate it. Great web site for us airship enthusiasts!
[Reply]
Jason Wallace Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:13 am
Here you go Robert it is a great sight and there is countless hours of footage Graf flying down to rio parts 1-4 etc etc
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=20701
Hope you enjoy the vids and let me no what you think.
Cheers Jason Wallace.
[Reply]
Robert McArthur Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Outstanding … and rare shots. Thanks again for all the hard work on the site.
[Reply]
This page is starting out great. If you didn’t know David Fowler has incredible technical drawings of the LZ 130, just as amazing as his Hindenburg drawings that you put on the Hindenburg pages. I also wonder about the color footage that Harold G. Dick filmed, there’s no good quality version… It’s ridiculous that the documentary got the Hindenburg and Graf II mixed up.
[Reply]
Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Thanks for the comment!
David was kind enough to send me editable versions of his wonderful drawings so I can incorporate details into this page; unfortunately I have just not had time to write the text for this page, or work with David’s fantastic drawings. I look forward to expanding the page when I am able!
[Reply]
Frank Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
That’s great!
Well there’s colour footage of the LZ 130 over Friedrichshafen filmed by Harold G Dick. It was shown in a Hindenburg documentary years ago but they mistook it for Hindenburg Footage (!). The documentary was “Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause”
I uploaded it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzMi7Ae5SKQ
Unfortunately my source of the documentary was widescreen; there should be a fullscreen version though.
Colour photos of the Graf II are rather common but colour photos of the Hindenburg are rare.
[Reply]
hi i love Zeps great site mate cheers
[Reply]
Could u please if at all possible find any info on what i presume would have been 2 spectacular Zeppelins the LZ128 and the LZ131.the LZ128 never left the drawing board and the LZ131 still in its construction stage was scrapped at the beginning of the second world war i think it would also make some interesting reading Ive looked through all my sources and found only what i wrote above and would love to know more if any one has any info at all please reply on my inquiry i would be very much obliged to hear from u of these 2 what would have been spectacular Zeppelins
p.s u have a great site and i am looking forward to any info u might get thank you for your time.
[Reply]
Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
January 20th, 2010 at 7:46 am
I have been meaning to additional information about the plans for LZ-128 and LZ-131, and I look forward to adding sections on those ship ships when I have the time.
Thanks for your kind words!
[Reply]
jason wallace Reply:
January 21st, 2010 at 5:57 am
Thanks for your kind consideration towards my question/comment on the LZ-128 LZ-131 i look forward to your discoveries and info you find.
You have a great site and I’m looking forward to reading more in the future
Thanks Jason!!
[Reply]
david moyer Reply:
May 16th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I don’t think there’s much of a story re LZ-131. My impression is that they started on the bow section, but essentially, LZ-129, 130, 131 and 132 were all to be similar ships. GZ2 differed minimally from the Hindenburg — tractor rather than pusher airscrews, e.g. 131 shouldn’t have been much different.
I too have been intrigued by 128, but I believe that ship was but a bit larger 127, until the R101 accident soured the Germans on airships designed for hydrogen> as I’m sure you know, 129 was to be a helium ship.
[Reply]
Jason Wallace Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 5:29 am
dear David thanks for your interesting remark on my inquiries if you find any info i would be more than happy to know about it. i myself am an airship fanatic im crazy about them as what they once were and as to what they can still be!! i mean yeah sure an airship like the hindenburg even with helium its design might not pass the modern aviation safety standards despite the fact it would be truly amazing but as far as the concept it self goes it is far safer far grander and in general a much more pleasant experience than that of a modern air liner eg: we have been travelling by sea for many centuries and there has been many tragedys eg TITANIC etc etc and not to mention airtravel by plane how many tragedys have their been millions upon millions and yet we still build and perfect them and fly in them. you see my point surely yes they have a fail safe glide design but they generally still crash on an airship how ever if one engine fails you can still continue the pleasant voyage and as many as 3 engines could die you could still travel safely to a degree if the nessescary precautions were taken wich they did do. they would be much more fuel efficient as we have lighter stronger materials and better fuel saving technology for power better yet being a rigid frame with further development they could be run on solar and with ready available helium its not just fantasy. Early zeppelin travel started off with excursion flights much the same as they are doing now with the Zeppelin NT’s and it took one man with enough motivation and spirit and Determination to make his dreams a reality that man was Dr Hugo Eckener. so imagine Zeppelin NT’s twice or 3 times the size flying the vast oceans and lands of the world in a similar fashion to our Aeroplane class system Economy, Business etc etc all they need is development and someone with enough motivation,determination and passion to drive the concept forwards and once again fill the skies with Grace,majesty and power and an all inspiring AWWWWWWWWWW!!!. I hope to one day bring my dreams into solid reality but for now untill i get the chance all i can do is dream Dream of what a great world it would be with international freindships in support of the cause as it was back in the Golden Age Of Air Travel so on that note you can ponder my response and i hope you to can dream of a world such as mine. I look forward to hearing from you again and if you have any additional info i would be mor ehtan happy to hear about it as a new Golden Age Of Air Travel is on the horizon as one day i hope airships/Zeppelins may asccend into glory and pioneer the globe once more as i said the dream is not dead and the concept is most certainly alive perhaps more than ever so i look forward to hearing from you soon Cheers Jason wallace
[Reply]
Jason Wallace Reply:
May 24th, 2010 at 4:05 am
I also have another post second from the top it has LZ-130 trialflights and the tragic death of Dr Hugo Eckener +many hours of Zeppelin footage Graf Zeppelin,Hindenburg etc etc …
If anyone finds any new info on Zepps please let me know
yours sincerely Jason wallace
[Reply]
The elusive LZ-130 makes its appearance! I didn’t think pictures of this marvel existed, let alone that it could actually fly. The passenger interior is massive! Is that thee floors of decks or just two? Those engine cars look real funny compared to the 127 and 129….
With photographs of the LZ-130, aside from joy that it actually existed, comes sadness, as this was the last Zeppelin the Luftschiffbau company made before the war machine called the Third Reich ate all of them….It’s like finding the missing link, after it’s found, there’s nothing new to search for anymore.
Thanks for finding these Dan!
[Reply]
Great, thanks. I particularly like the cross-section schematic of the Zep half-way across the ocean. Just lovely.
[Reply]
Thank you for these wonderful photos of the airship. Do you know if there exisrs a print of the MGM Movietone 3 reel 1929 Hearst made film, “Across the Atlantic via Zeppelin with Lady Drummond Hay”?
Bob
[Reply]
Dan (Airships.net) Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Unfortunately I don’t know if a print of that film is available.
Perhaps the producers of the new movie “Farewell” (which uses archival footage) might be able to help you.
[Reply]